Afraid: Cato Love Story
by girlfromdistrict12
Summary: "Trust is like paper. Once crumpled, it can never be perfect again." She's fearless. Mostly. There's only one thing that truly scares her. Falling in love. When she volunteered for her niece in The Hunger Games, she didn't plan in falling in love. But that's exactly what she did.
1. Chapter 1

"Hollie! Hollie! Hollie, wake up! You'll be late for the reaping!" my mum called out, flicking the lights on and off in my room. I groaned and buried my face in my lilac-scented pillow. "HOLLIE GWENDOLYN AUSTIN! WAKE UP!" my mum screamed. I shot up straight in bed and looked at the time. Dammit! I'd be late! I hopped out of bed and dressed in the light yellow dress Mum sat out for me. I smiled. It used to be my older sister Hana's before she outgrew the reaping. Now she was married with a 12 year old names Delia. It was her first year in the reaping, and Hana was worried she'd get reaped. I slipped on my black flats, pulled my raven hair into a braid, pulled on the silver bracelet I had gotten for my birthday, and walked out the door to find Hana, Delia, Cora, Felix, and Mum waiting. They didn't say anything, just took off to the Square where the names would be chosen. It was sick. They throw us into an arena to fight to the death for freaking entertainment. That was their idea of fun. Like I said, it was sick. We arrived at the square and got in line to get our fingers pricked. After that, I bent down and looked at my two siblings and niece. "Listen guys. When it's over, I'll find you and take you home, okay?" They all nodded and we took our places, me with the 15 year olds , Cora and Felix with the 13 year olds, and Delia with the 12 year olds. The District 3 representative,  
Tallulah Trinket, stepped up onto the stage. Her hair was bright purple, as well as the rest of her outfit. "Welcome! Welcome! Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor! Now, before we begin, we have a very special film brought to you all the way from the Capitol!" she squealed happily. The video played and I tuned it out - I'd seen it 14 times before. I didn't really need to see it again. Tallulah sighed at the end . "I just love that! Now, it is time to pick two courageous young men and women to compete in the 74th Hunger Games! As usual, ladies first." She walked over to the girls' bowl and plucked a name from it, taking her time walking back to the microphone. "Delia Evans." A gasp of horror escaped my mouth. No. "No!" I shouted, trying to get to Delia. "No! I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" Tallulah smiled. "Well, it looks like we have a volunteer. Come up to the stage sweetie, don't be shy." I walked up to the stage. What had I done? I just volunteer for the Hunger Games! "Now, what's your name?" Tallulah asked me, holding the microphone to my mouth. "Hollie Austin," I whispered. "Now, for the boys!" Tallulah walked over to the boys' bowl and grabbed a piece of paper. "Felix Austin." No. No, this couldn't be happening. Not Felix. Then a shout came from the crowd. "I volunteer as tribute!" I looked and saw a boy about my age with spiky red hair walking up to the stage. It was all I could do to not hug him. He just saved Felix. I don't think Tallulah's smile could have gotten any wider, she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, for God's sake! "What's your name?" she asked the boy. He looked into the crowd. "Ross Griffin." Still grinning, Tallulah commanded us to shake hands. We obeyed. Ross's hand was big and warm compared to my cold, tiny one. We walked back into the Justice Building for good-byes. The door opened and Hana, Delia, Felix, Cora, and my mum burst in. Hana immediately swept me up in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh my God, Hollie, thank you so much. You saved Delia." I hugged her back, trying to keep the tears in. She let go and Delia hugged me next. "Hollie, thank you." I just nodded. "Please, will you try to win? Please, try to come back. You can use a bow." I smiled at her. "Of course I'll try." She hugged me once more before Felix and Cora ran up and gripped me so tight, I thought I'd die before the Games. Felix looked so relieved and I was happy Ross had volunteered for him. I wouldn't have been able to kill him. Cora started sobbing into my dress. I pulled her back by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Cora, don't cry, okay? I'll come back, I promise." She just nodded before my mum pushed them away and hugged me. I hugged her back, on the verge of crying. She looked at me. "Hollie, listen. You are amazing with a bow and arrow. You will win these Games. Come back to us, okay?" I nodded. She hugged me on last time before leaving with the others. As soon as they left, my best friend Leah ran in and hugged me. "Oh my God, Hollie! You have to come out!" I nodded again. "You're my only friend. My best one too. Please come back for me."  
"I will, Leah, I will." She smiled at me and left, there must be more visitors. I didn't know who, though. The door opened and Jared, Hana's husband walked in. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen him at the reaping. He must have been working. He cleared his throat. "Hollie. I just heard what happened. Thank you, for volunteering for Delia. It means a lot." I smiled. "It's no problem. She's my niece, of course I'll volunteer for her." He smiled briefly at me and left. Two Peacekeepers came in to get me. I followed them out to the train, searching for a glimpse of my family, anything, so I would remember them forever. I saw them, waving good-bye sadly. I waved back, then left the window and sat down next to Ross. Tallulah smiled at us. "I'll just go find Beetee and Wiress." She walked out and left me and Ross alone. I looked at him curiously. "Why did you do it? Volunteer for my brother?" I asked. He shrugged. "I don't know. He just seemed too young, not able to defend himself. At least I'd stand a chance. Besides, I didn't think your family would be able to handle it." I smiled at him. "Well, thank you. It means a lot to us." He just nodded in acknowledgement as Tallulah walked in with Beetee and Wiress.


	2. Chapter 2

Tallulah trotted back into the car with Beetee and Wiress in tow. She left us with them and bounced off to go get changed, or some other crap. Beetee and Wiress sat down opposite us and I looked at my hands folded neatly in my lap and tried not to cry. "So, you're District 3's tributes for this year," Beetee spoke. Ross and I nodded. "You both volunteered," Wiress noted. "Were they family members?" I nodded again. "My niece, Delia." Ross shook his head. "I just figured it would be bad enough loosing one family member, they didn't nees to loose two. So I volunteered for her brother." I felt a wave of gratitude rush over me, mixed with some indignance. I suppose he thought I was going to die. Well, I don't plan on dying. Nope, I plan on winning. I suddenly noticed everyone staring at me. I looked up, slightly alarmed. Beetee smiled. "I said, what are your strengths?" I tried to think. "Well, I'm smart. I'm okay with a bow and arrow." I said. Ross smiled.  
"You're more than 'okay'. Our family buys your rabbits. You hit them in the eye, every time." I smiled a bit shyly. "What about you?" Wiress asked Ross. "Well, I'm kinda smartish, and I know how to handle a sword-" I cut him off. "You're really good with a sword. I've seen you practice." He kinda smiled at me and I returned it. Wiress and Beetee looked pretty happy, so I guess our strengths were pretty good. We spent another couple hours discussing strategy and such. Then it was time for the tribute parade. I was kinda nervous. I mean, some of the things tributes have been dressed in over the years...God. For example, the District 12 tributes are almost always naked and covered in coal dust. Isn't that nice? I was taken into the room where I'll be "prepped". My prep team, who consisted of an aqua-skinned woman named Reahanna, an orange-haired guy named Corn **(I really don't know what I was thinking there...)**, and a girl with bright pink skin and green tattoos, waxed my legs, plucked my eyebrows, trimmed my hair, and that kind of crap. Yippee. After that, I was taken to my stylist, Joshua. He looked fairly normal for a Capitol guy, the only Capitol thing about him being his silver eyeliner. "That," he said when he entered the room, "was extremely brave of you. Volunteering for that girl." I nodded stiffly. "She was my niece."  
"So, I have a somewhat different idea for your costume this year. We're going to dress you as the inside of a machine, if that makes any sense." It did. The costume was hot and heavy and just overall super uncomfortable. It looked really cool though. It was designed like the inside if a machine, with intricate designs. I was dressed all in silver, with silver shoes, makeup, jewelry, and tiara. Ross and I arrived at the runway and stood by our chariot until the parade started. I felt someone watching me and turned around. It was the boy from 2. I think his name was Cato. "Take a picture," I called out to him. "It'll last longer!" His face turned bright red and I turned back to Ross to see him smirking at me. Josh and Ross's stylist, Rachel, walked up then. Josh smiled at me. "Just smile and wave. There are lots if potential sponsors out there, make an impression on them. Also, hold hands with Ross."  
"Okay," I said. Ross and I boarded the chariot and he reached for my hand. I hesitated, then remembered Josh's instructions and took it. The chariots lurched forward and I held onto Ross's hand for support. The roar of the crowd reached my ears before I saw them. The lights hit us, and I was momentarily blinded. When I recovered my sight, I saw all of the Capitol people cheering and throwing roses and teddy bears and such. I caught a beautiful white rose and blew a kiss in the general direction of the crowd. They kinda freaked out and tried to catch the kiss. Then, the roaring intensified and I turned around. It was District 12. The tributes seemed to be on fire. It did look impressive. The chariots reached President Snow and stopped. He welcomed the tributes and then the chariots were taken backstage. Ross and I dismounted and met up with Beetee, Wiress, Rachel, Josh, and Tallulah. "You did amazing!" Tallulah squealed happily. I nodded absentmindedly. Cato was staring at me again. Beetee noticed Cato too, I think. "Let's go upstairs," he said and we were escorted to an elevator that took us to our floor. It was extravagantly furnished and basically nothing like my house at home. We were one of the poorer families in 3. _If I win, that could all change, _  
I thought. Tallulah showed me to my room where I'd be staying for the next three days. It was really nice, with light blue walls and a leafy green bed. There was a walk-in wardrobe to the side, and a couple empty shelves. There was a nightstand next to my bed with a lamp and a semi-circle black device. I picked up the device and experimentally swiped my finger across it. The empty wall opposite my bed changed into a city view, probably the Capitol. Then, an autumn view. Next was a forest, filled with towering green trees. It was comforting an calm. I left it at that. In a way, it reminded me of the forest where I used to hunt for my family, but different. I changed into some comfy clothes and immediately fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

There was a girl. She had raven black hair and electric blue eyes. There was a boy too, standing across from her. He had light blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Tears were welling up in the girl's eyes as she whispered, "Just kill me. Kill me, and you can go home. I don't care anymore." The boy shook his head and held out two knives. "No. Together. It'll be okay. I promise." The girl nodded and they raised the knives to their throats, just as a voice called out for them to stop. But it was too late. The knife slipped through the boy's throat, and he dropped to the ground, the life bleeding out of him. The girl screamed and knelt down beside him, the tears spilling over and streaming down her face. ~~~ I jolted up in bed, panting and sweaty. The dream. It seemed so real. There was no doubt I was the girl, but the boy was a mystery to me. Just then, Tallulah pounded on my door, squealing, "Wake up, wake up! Today is a big, big, big day!" I groaned and stuffed my face back into my pillow. Tallulah must have hearing like a bat, because she stomped into my room and yanked the covers and pillow off of me, placing them on a high shelf where I couldn't reach them before stomping back out. I sighed and slowly got up, trying to force the grogginess away. I fumbled at the closet door and finally got it open, putting on this. (Here it is: hollies_outfit/s...) I walked down the hall to the dining room and found everyone waiting for me. "Well, Sleeping Beauty has finally awaken," Ross teased as I sat down. "Shut up," I muttered, still groggy, but unable to summon any real annoyance. Heaps of eggs and pancakes and basically every other breakfast food imaginable were piled on the table. Suddenly, my grogginess disappeared and was replaced by amazement. So much food! I looked at Ross and saw an expression on his face that mirrored my feelings. Laughing, I dug in. When Ross and I could eat no more, Tallulah gave us our training outfits and let us change. Then, she led us down to the training floor. There were lots of stations, some more practical for survival, others about fighting and exercise. None of the other tributes were there. Since there wasn't anything to do except wait, I figured I'd go to the archery station. It was only Ross watching. I picked up a bow and arrow and aimed at the target. It hit center, a perfect shot. I picked up another arrow and kept on shooting. I think Ross was at the sword-fighting station. I heard the elevator doors open and I put the bow back, walking over to the edible plants station. Beetee and Wiress had told us not to show our strengths until the private training sessions with the Gamemakers. The boy from 2, Cato, I think, came over and I focused on the edible plants, which I was horrible at. If I were starving without any weapons, I'd be seriously screwed. He sat down next to me. I looked back out of the corner of my eye and saw him staring at me. I looked away and stood up, deciding to join Ross at camouflage, when Cato called out, "Wait! Gwen, wait!" I spun around. Was he talking to me? My name wasn't Gwen. "Gwen, don't you remember me? It's me, Cato." I shook my head. "One, my name is Hollie. Gwen is my middle name, which you shouldn't know. And two, I don't know you." He looked sad and hurt. "But...it's me. It's Cato." "Listen, I'm sorry. You must have the wrong person. I really don't know who you are." I felt kinda bad, but I really didn't know who the hell he was. "Don't you remember me? I'm Cato Hadley. Your boyfriend. We used to watch the sun set every day. Then you moved away and I tried to contact you, but you never replied." he pleaded. Wow. He acted as though we actually knew each other. But...I'd never seen him before in my life. He must have the wrong person. "Listen. I really am sorry. I don't know you. You must have mistaken me for someone else." Now, he looked like he was going to cry. I walked away and over to Ross. Ross looked at me. "You okay?" I nodded. "Yeah. Some kid just thought he knew me, that's all." "Okay." ~~~ I looked around the room nervously. It was time for the private training sessions. "Hollie Austin." the automated voice spoke. I swallowed nervously and stood up. "Hey," Ross said. I turned around. "Shoot straight." I grinned weakly and walked into the room. The Gamemakers were up on their little platform, drinking wine and eating. I looked up at them. "Hollie Austin. District 3." Seneca Crane and a few others looked at me. I walked over to the bow and arrows, picking up the bow. I strung an arrow and shot, hitting the center. A couple claps sounded and I strung another arrow. Lots of eyes were on me and I tensed up. I let the arrow fly, but completely missed the center. The Gamemakers laughed and turned back to their food. A huge pig with an apple stuck in its mouth arrived, completely capturing their attention. I grabbed an arrow and shot it, straight at the apple, pinning it to the wall. The Gamemakers turned around, shocked. "Thank you," I said, bowing. "For your consideration." I put the bow back and walked out of the room, storming up to our floor. When I got onto the elevator, the tears started. I'd get a low score for sure. Shooting an arrow at the Gamemakers. What was I thinking?! ~~~ "Open your eyes!" One of my prep team members, Fiona, I think, squealed. I opened them hesitantly and immediately gasped. I didn't look like myself. My outfit ( /hollies_first_interview_outfit/set?id=110179576) was gorgeous. I looked like someone who was beautiful, someone who belonged here. I turned around and smiled at my prep team and Josh. "This is amazing. Thank you so much." They all smiled at me. "You do look amazing. Now, I believe we have interviews to get to," Josh said, leading me to an elevator with Tallulah, Ross, Rachel, Wiress, and Beetee. At the mention of the interviews butterflies fluttered in my stomach. What would I say? What if I messed up? Stop that, I scolded myself. Calm down. It will all be perfectly fine. Ross smiled at me as I sat down. "Nervous?" "You wouldn't believe," I said, the butterflies getting worse as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. I stepped out and waited until it was my turn. I walked to the side of the stage and waited. My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. God, all this just for a silly interview. "And now we have Hollie Austin, from District 3!" Caesar Flickerman called out. That was my cue. I took a deep breath and stepped out. And nearly ran right back off. All eyes and lights were on me. I forced myself to go to my seat. Sitting down, all I could think about was the crowd and how big it was and how all of Panem was watching me right now. Caesar looked at me expectantly, snapping me back to reality. "Well?" he asked. "What?" "I said, that was quite a costume you wore at the tribute parade. Care to tell us more?" "Well…it was very uncomfortable," I said. "How so?" "Um, it was really hot and heavy, and just unpleasant to wear." Caesar smiled and the crowd laughed a bit. "Now tell me, who was that girl you volunteered for? A relative? A friend?" "She was Delia, my niece." I murmured sadly, thinking of Delia watching me now. "Ah. And, if you don't mind, why did you volunteer for her?" "Well, all I could think was that I couldn't let her die, that I needed to protect her from the Games. That she was just too fragile and too young." I replied softly. Caesar smiled and I heard the crowd sigh. "Well, you win these Games and return to her and keep on protecting her, okay?" Caesar said. I nodded. "I will." He stood up. "Hollie Austin. District 3!" The crowd cheered and a hurried offstage, grateful that it was over. Ross grinned at me. "You did great." I grinned back. "Thanks. Good luck," He laughed. "I'll need it!" Ross was called onstage and I walked back and watched from the backstage TVs. He and Caesar chatted a bit, before Caesar asked, "So, tell me, is there a girl back home?" Ross smiled a tad and shook his head. "No, not really," Caesar turned to the crowd. "I don't believe it for a second! Handsome boy like you, there must be one girl!" "Well, there is this one girl. I've liked her for years, but I don't think she really knew I existed until the Reaping." The crowd sighed. "Well, tell you this," Caesar said, "You go out there, you win this thing, and then she'll have to go out with you!" Ross shook his head. "No, I don't think that'll work." "Now, why not?" "Because she came here with me." Surprise shot through me. Me? Ross liked me? "That's too bad," Caesar said and Ross nodded in agreement. "Ross Griffin. District 3!" 


End file.
